Tag: ESA

Week in images: 17-21 November 2025

Discover our week through the lens

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The Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission takes us over one of Earth’s most extreme environments: the Danakil Depression in Ethiopia.

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Finding star clusters in the Lost Galaxy

The ESA/JAXA BepiColombo mission has been cruising towards Mercury since October 2018. With just one year to go until it arrives at its destination, what has the mission achieved so far? And what can we expect from its two spacecraft after they enter orbit around the Solar System’s smallest and least-explored rocky planet? 

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Bepi, Mio and MTM’s adventures continue! What have they achieved on their extraordinary journey to Mercury, planet of extremes and mysteries?

They haven’t been bored, that’s for sure. They snapped cool photos and collected real science data as they flew past Earth, Venus and Mercury – each planet is unique! After witnessing Venus’s blinding heat, flying through Mercury’s freezing shadow, and braving strong winds and radiation coming from the Sun, the trio know they are ready for anything.

In November 2026, the spacecraft will arrive at Mercury to stay. Bepi and Mio will orbit around the little planet to uncover all its mysteries, like: What is it made of? Does it have water? And how does its magnetic field work?

Meet the cartoon characters during their mission training

Marking one year until BepiColombo reaches Mercury

BepiColombo is a joint mission between ESA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), executed under ESA leadership. It is Europe’s first mission to Mercury. Launched in 2018, it will arrive at Mercury in November 2026 and begin science operations in early 2027.

The European Space Agency (ESA) brings public and ESA-wide recognition of the outstanding performance of European companies working in the frame of ESA programmes and projects.

Smile has passed its qualification and flight acceptance review, meaning that it meets all requirements for launch. The launch window has been set for 8 April to 7 May 2026.

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The press conference, at the European Astronaut Centre in Cologne, Germany, follows the signing of contracts between Thales Alenia Space Italy, UK and France, OHB system AG (Germany) and Nammo (UK) for the ESA’s lunar lander programme Argonaut.

The programme is a key part of ESA’s lunar strategy and will support future robotic and crewed missions, contributing to international efforts to establish a long-term human presence on the Moon.

Today, the European Space Agency’s Argonaut lunar lander programme welcomes new members to its growing family. At ESA’s European Astronaut Centre (EAC) near Cologne, Germany, Thales Alenia Space Italy – the prime contractor for Argonaut’s first lander – signed agreements with Thales Alenia Space in France, OHB in Germany, and Thales Alenia Space and Nammo in the United Kingdom.

On 17 December 2025, two Galileo satellites will be launched by Arianespace on Ariane 6 from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana. This 14th operational launch in the Galileo programme will improve the precision, availability and robustness of the Galileo system. These satellites will benefit the billions of people who use Galileo daily via their smartphone as well as key sectors such as critical infrastructure, autonomous driving, air traffic, maritime, agriculture, emergency services and rescue operations. 

Astronomers recently discovered the 40 000th near-Earth asteroid! These space rocks range from a few metres to a few kilometres in size and are on orbits that bring them relatively close to Earth. Each new discovery is both a reminder of our planet’s vulnerability and a testament to how far the field of planetary defence has advanced in just a few decades.